"I personally think abortion is wrong, but..."
As I've talked to people on Twitter about the abortion issue, I've encountered three basic types of people:- People who think abortion is wrong for everybody.
- People who think abortion is right for everybody.
- People who think abortion is wrong for them personally, but believe that other people shouldn't be prevented from having one if they feel abortion is right for them.
The people that I find the most fascinating are the ones that fit type #3. Whenever I encounter someone that holds this belief, the first thing I ask them is why they think abortion is wrong for them personally? I posed this question to a person on Twitter last night, and she said she was personally against abortion for "religious reasons". I then asked her why her religion was against abortion. She responded that her religion is against abortion because "it's considered murder". I then said to her, "You're against abortion because you believe it's murder, but you don't want to take away other people's right to murder?" She responded "Yes, I believe it's a woman's choice." I then asked her "Do you support laws that prevent women from murdering born people?" It doesn't surprise me that I never received a response. If the woman responded that she supports laws that prevent women (and, obviously, men) from murdering other born people, she would appear hypocritical because of her stance on abortion. How could she support laws that prevent others from murdering born people, but not support laws that prevent others from murdering unborn people?In Germany in during World War II, when the holocaust was occurring, it would be interesting to know if there were Germans who said "I personally think killing Jews is wrong, but I don't think it's right for me to prevent other Germans from killing Jews, if they think it's right for them." I wonder...
Thank you for the response, William. I'm afraid I must disagree with you. To say that nobody on this Earth will ever change their mind regarding the abortion issue is an unfair generalization. I do believe that there are many people on both sides of the issue that are unlikely to change their minds, but you or I have no way of knowing if they will or won't. My goal in discussing the abortion issue with people is to get them to think about what they are supporting. Many people believe that abortion is good because because they are misinformed about the issue. Giving such people the facts about abortion may cause them to change their mind. What is the likelyhood of them changing their mind? I have no way of knowing, nor does anyone else, including you.
ReplyDeleteYou can give up on changing people's minds regarding the abortion issue, if you want. I am going to keep on trying. If I manage to change one abortion supporter's mind and they become pro-life, I will die a happy man. God bless you.
Hi Paul - I follow you on Twitter; if you're ever interested in an Orthodox Christian perspective or in the story of a woman who had an abortion, let me know. I really enjoy your blog and newspaper. God bless, DeltaCinderella
ReplyDeleteThank you for the kind words, Delta Cinderella. I would be interested in anything you care to share regarding the Orthodox Christian faith and the abortion experience. Nice to meet you!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Paul. You have a real gift for sharing the Gospel. You have probably affected a lot more lives for good than you will ever know in this earthly life, but I suspect you'll have some extra stars in your crown you weren't expecting when you stand before Christ. I greatly admire your patience. You are one of the few I've encountered that really understands these are not people we're battling, but prinicpalities and powers. Keep up the great work.
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